Set up the opportunity for providers to get grants, but appropriation was not made

May get appropriation in the future

Money from appropriation may go to help a failing dam

AT&T likes the grant because they are able to apply

Not intended for overbuild; is for un-served areas

Broadband Task Force

Has disbanded

Looked @ deployment at the time

Sees Connect Kentucky as the task force (views task force as a child of legislative process)

Did good job of discussing issues @ margin and bringing together legislators

Was put in place as an accountability measure

Relationship w/ Wild Blue

Does not know any details

Partnering w/ them for deployment opportunities

In areas where AT&T is not deploying, WildBlue is the provider

Connect Kentucky is working to bring down the cost via partnership

KEN

Coordinating partner w/ KIH2

Schools were a part of KIH2

There was a lot of work done to get connections out to each school district as part of KIH2

Worked to get the infrastructure out there

17 Partners coming together because of KIH(1)

Which partner gets which school is dependent on ILEC

What recommendations do you have for us?

Removing regulatory barriers to allowing providers to come in and offer service

Did not want to have to re-sell broadband to CLEC---shares POTS but didn’t want to sell DSLAM access

Infrastructure is in place and seeing if there is an issue—the question is that is the broadband connectivity enough and is it affordable?

A lot of work has been done and continues to be done to spur deployment

Another avenue is in Science, Engineering and Math—Kentucky has entities has content and then to build broadband out using Science and math as a driver, which will in turn allow the libraries to be more attractive

Mark David Gross Chairmen Kentucky Public Service Commission

Legislation

2 or 3 years ago a bill was passed to de-regulate broadband provisions from the commission’s jurisdiction

Proceeding session there was a deal that de-regulated local telephone service

Bills to de-regulate telecommunications (much less than 3 ½ years ago)

Issue: PSC does not reg. cable so telephone argued that they are regulated but cable is not

Impact

De-reg of broadband has been helpful in getting broadband deployment in the state

Telcos said they couldn’t deploy because of PSC

To get de-reg, the ILECs would have to provision broadband in rural

Doesn’t think 92% of deployment w/out de-regulation

Bell South was able to sell investment to corporate b/c then they wouldn’t need to share facilities

Thinks they have done a good job, but there are pockets that are unserved

Wife (school board) says that usage by children is great!

How much oversight do you have?

Telcos

Virtually none

They ask for some reporting, which they give freely

Could not have reporting requirement

Complaints & advertising oversight

Regulates the basic phone service with price (basic local service w/ no frills) approx 20-25%

De-reg has not increased complaints

Fully regulate the power companies for their power utilities

But not for broadband

Duke KY has expressed interest & had pilot project of broadband over powerlines

In some rural areas, the public utilities offer cable

Power company bill

Bill to allow power companies to drive broadband

Main purpose: sell propane and other services (not broadband)

Problem in his mind is that getting broadband in the last 8% of the state where the population density is low, there is a fixed, low income preventing them from adopting

Has concerns and doubts that the last 8% will be completed

Thinks that the wireless from DCI is interesting but not sure if wireless will be a viable solution for eastern KY

How he characterized state of broadband:

Vastly improved since 2004

Gets better each month

Thinks it will be interesting to see how close to 100% they actually get

High-speed (anything but dial-up)…thinks most can get it

Been happy w/ CK and telephone providers

Pleasantly surprised—though they were being lied to about de-reg promises

Broadband task force appointed by legislator w/ cross-section of people to monitor what the telcos were doing to ensure compliance

Issued a report and not sure if it is still around

Knew that they must follow through in order to get land line de-reg

KEN

Not involved in KEN

Had not even heard of the project

Success factors of 92%

The entities that have had the abilities to deploy broadband has been freed up by decision maker (e.g. corporate) that the numbers work. Even though the cost is high, they can make it up in some of the more urban areas to subsidize this high cost

Skeptical of broadband de-reg, but is now a supporter

The hue and cry of folks in rural Kentucky who want what their cousins in urban areas has

Thinks the companies have been responsive to this cry—they want to make profit and if it makes sense, they will deploy

Governor has done a good job of getting the word out and hammering the issue

The public is aware of it b/c the governor has said it, president says it and federal people say it

Barriers

Geography

Socio-economic status & abilities

Does not want or can not afford the connection

These people are the ones libraries should be attracting

Bill and Melinda Gates Interventions

Wondering if there would be some way to piggy back off of access that is already in the community

College professor @ SE Community College…wanted high speed @ home and couldn’t get it…lived within several hundred yards of fiber

Wonders if there could be greater collaboration between public libraries and other public institutions

John Higginbotham

John is the superintendent of the Frankfort plant board that provides cable TV, telecom, water, power, Internet, and security services.

40 municipal electric companies (12 or 13 that is in the cable/telcom)

They have been on the leading edge of broadband; leaving the private sector behind

Important Factors that are affecting broadband deployment

Cost of upgrading equipment was large (only 512K until the new equipment was in place

Now they need to go even faster

Realized that they needed to make broadband available to library after library board was planning to build their new building

2 Mb for $500 /month & cable for $100 / month

Have a few hundred homes left to wire

Biggest Barrier to Broadband

Cost and ability to make revenue back on the expenditure

Low population density

Reaching some of the really rural areas (nearly $10,000/mile to wire)

Topography of the county is large

Adelphia (now bought by Time Warner) did not pay for upgrades to infrastructure

Recommendations for Gates foundation

Will email us later

Interface with the library

Kirk Poling

Kirk works for Insight Communications, the largest cable company in Kentucky, but has only been with the company for 6 months. Insight is a privately held company (no public scrutiny).

Has worked for many years on broadband deployment to various

Trying to figure out how to get into the business market

$1 Billion of revenue every year (7th largest)

Is looking for a way to build out the fiber to business and figure out how to build infrastructure

Trying to determine where there is a need (serves KY, IL, IN and OH)

Do you serve libraries?

They do have some libraries—do not have exact numbers

Active in K12 space and is working on Higher Ed

The factors that go into business decisions

Build it they will come (attitude of the early 2000s), but ineffective

Do not build it but hope they will come is the new attitude

His philosophy is that it is important to look into both sides of the equation

Want to quantify ROI on 12-36 months

Looks at each situation case by case

Fiber to the business; schools, universities, and libs (not to the home)

Trying to figure out how to spread out the up-front costs for deployment

No plans for FTTH deployment

B&M Gates interventions

I don’t know

IF you have value-added resource and application would be great

Partner w/ public service organization

Lack of dollars and cents (although cost of bandwidth is dropping)

Look at each opportunity to determine feasibility

What do you think of CK?

Great initiative (let’s get w/ the companies to get deployment)

Tying to get Insight involved in CK activities

Thinks that Insight is a good way to deploy broadband ($1 billion of revenue to spend)

Great to help consumers and now branching out to business

David Hemingway

David is a Senior Account Executive at Digital Connections, Inc. (a infrastructure company)

What is DCI?

Carrier to ISP is not a function they normally have fulfilled

DCI started as a data networking company in 1992

@ the time that frame relay was taking hold

Survived the crash

Stumbled onto Connect Kentucky

Had done several wireless integrations

Putting together 7 conty wi-fi network

Hooking up the service is now done w/ a partner

Synergy is providing the Internet connectivity, hooking up, marketing and retailing of the service

DCI provides the access points and backhaul

900 MHz spectrum is used (non line of site and unlicensed)

looked @ 700 MHz, but is owned by someone who does not want to lease to DCI

Will lease the tower from Crown Castle (a tower management company)

Has a radio to go out to customers and then a separate radio to act as a back haul

2600 sq mi

Finish up deployment by the end of the year (2007)

Speeds

512k down (@29.95) to 2.5 Mb down

Maximum speed is somewhere 3.0 Mb

Do you have to provide services to some public entitites?

10% rebate has to go back to people helping to fund portions of the network

Offer a free hotspot to all counties as part of the contract (all bandwidth is free)

Taking customers away?

Only satellite people for the most part (in most cases)

There are places where there will be overlap w/ wire companies

Is this service going well?

Not deployed yet

Have completed beta test that exceeded expectations

Moving forward on more deployment

Other providers seem to be done well

46 WISPs in Indiana using Motorola equipment that they will be using

20-25 miles is max (going to go to 10 mi) $85,000 per tower

Profitable @ 5400 in seven counties (13-15% consumers in the county)

B&M Gates Foundation

Maybe some uses for libraries

Follow-ups

Samantha Finke @ ConnectKY

As far as the success factor I would have to say that I think the biggest reason Kentucky has been successful has been the drive of our local communities and ConnectKentucky’s grass roots efforts. We are also lucky to have several legislators who are very passionate about seeing Kentucky succeed and who recognize the role that technology, particularly broadband access, plays into that success. Thus, I don’t think our success can be attributed to any one thing – instead I think the combination of public, private and local efforts has made many folks more aware of technology and the need to build infrastructure and implement applications to support growth. Kentucky is by no means perfect but we are definitely making great strides in the availability, awareness and adoption of technology!

I keep hearing the statement Nancy made about how technology centers are just not necessary in the presence of libraries and think that was a GREAT point. I think one thing that we all need to advocate at the state and local level, particularly in Kentucky, is getting people to recognize that. I agree there is no point in wasting more resources to build something in addition to what already exists in libraries. Instead, the resources that have been allocated for technology centers and the like should be put into libraries to enable them to serve as the learning/technological center of the community – it just makes the most sense. This way both the libraries and their communities will benefit. Also, with the level of broadband connectivity that now exists in KY, I think it would be very easy to reinforce libraries as the centerpiece of the community again. In recent years I think that libraries have unfortunately been neglected by states. As a result, my speculation is that those that aren’t up-to-date with the technological age have probably been disregarded by some, whereas those that are up-to-date with technology have probably seen a resurgence in activity – now that is just pure speculation on my part. In any case, technology is definitely going to play a major role in the future of libraries. I think they definitely should be the hub of the community and I see interactive learning classes, programs, and such to be huge opportunities for libraries. I feel very strongly that Kentucky could use funds from the Gate’s Foundation to boost libraries with technological and innovative learning programs, which in turn would draw more of the community in and bring libraries back to the stage they belong – a centerpiece for the community.

Deborah Clayton

The lack of it not being pervasive throughout the Commonwealth.

Connect Kentucky

(For a different point of view on ConnectKentucky, see the public library focus group.)

What people do?
30 full time people with some part-time
Involved in county teams

Spurring demand in the counties.

Andrew – government relations
Foundation support for No Child Left Offline
Health 0- Policy and program development coordinator
Policy and advocacy group
Work with community type programs
Provide support for e-community strategies
Assessment for small companies
Technology assessments
What they have and what they need
Help organizations develop technology plans
Hardware and software needs
How bring technology to bear on their mission
KDLA issued an RFP to do technology training at the local levelDoing a technology boot camp for 4 days.
Giving an overview of skills and external resources
How to maintain technology in the library
How set up a wireless network
How maintain security

Jeff – Director of program development
Try to bring order to chaos
Partnership development
Recruiting of private companies that want to be involved in private/public partnerships
Scan federal and state opportunities for funding matches with their programs
Hook resources with problems

Samantha
Policy analyst
Technology policy tracking on state and federal level
Track what’s going on in different states
Compile a publication that sums up what happens during the week
Work with Heather to find funding

How you developed model?
Taylor County Kentucky in 1999.
75% of adults traced their employment to one textile company.
Identities tied to the job they did.
Textile company shut its doors with unemployment at 30% level.
Scrambling for jobs and a crash course in self-assessment.
How be attractive for economic development.
Brought everybody to the table.
Had never addressed their development.
Determined that technology would be the way out.
Textile company became a major distribution center for Amazon.com
Call center for travel company.
Same story could be in the 118 rural counties.

Maybe the same should be in every county and be proactive and implement it statewide.
KC grew out of university look at telecom needs in several counties.
Governor Patton initiated CK on a statewide basis.
Governor Fletcher enlarged what is there. Prescription Kentucky launched in October, 2004.

Mapping?
Can only get through cooperation among industries.
Shows where there are gaps in service.
Market analysis available .
To get BB across the state, then have to know what isn’t.
If industry doesn’t give data, then listed at a gap, and they will help fill it.
Will map, identify deployment and close gaps cooperatively.

Don’t talk about buildout until know can get an return investment.
Supply side through mapping.
Local planning team to do a technology plan.
Get someone from each of 9 sectors.
Don’t move forward until have 2-4 reps from each sector.

Lead through an analysis of gap analysis
Where are they now?
Where would they like to be in the future?
Every sector knows its own vision for the future in two years.
As of December of 06, each county has a technology report.

No funding.
Labor of love on their part.
Help them identify funding.
Each county different in how aggressive they are.
Not a government entity but a 501c3
Can protect the proprietary data of telecos.

Do not do central planning
Local buy in on individual community basis.
Grass roots buy in level.

Gone from 60% BB coverage. Now at 92%.
Bench marked at FCC level.
Not set price or speed quotas.

Everything is research based.
Research need
Design solution
Evaluate impact

AT&T says their deployment rate doubled.

Solutions for getting BB differ from county to county.
Some are multi-county.

Champion in each county. Sometimes the county executive and sometimes others.

Very public process
Announce in the newspaper. Almost 100 show up. A handful stay around to be a team.
CK people around the state who serve as a catalyst to get things started and bring people to the table.

Local leadership develops on each community team.
An even playing field in the nine sectors.

Once the visionary process is done. Some have significant challenges in having traditional wire line meet their needs.

In some progressive counties that are motivated, county government are creative in finding solutions to providing coverage.

Website project.
2/3s of communities did not have a web presence.
So that became a priority.

Communities see where other counties are being a success.
Creating success locally creates state interest.
When their constituents are happy, easy to say yes to the bill.

Main legislative act was in 2004.
Began in earnest in Janaury 2005.

Earlier counties took a year.
Now takes 57 days. Really telescoped.

Supply side discussion is separate from demand side..
Comprehensive and simultaneous.
Work to suck the technical out of it.
Talk about what the technology can do.
Behaviors that can be solved technology.
For every issue face there are structural and cultural solutiosn, typically a mix of the two.

Has structural solution but cultural hasn’t gotten to their yet.

How work with providers?
Mapping is key component to the supply side.
Mapping more sophisticated than just where BB is
Look at census data, sewer lines, boundaries. Household data.
Had better data than the providers have.
Providers could see market potential.

Started collecting data in 2003.
2004 session of legislature
Process to deregulate BB
In course of this legislation some interest in having accountability.
If deregulate, will the investment occur?
KC positioned through Office of New Economy.
Mapping was a way toward accountability.
Language said telecos will cooperate with Dept. of Commercialization and Ennovation.

Manage tension between government and industry. Give everybody something that they wanted.
Understanding that telcos should cooperate to get the deregulation.

Partnership wall showing the partners.
What will happen when Kentucky has full BB development?

When started showing the maps, providers would see the maps and realize their data wasn’t on the map and wanted it on the map.

Early maps took at least six months to get to the first one.
Updated quarterly.
As soon as map done, it was public knowledge.

Benchmarking on website.
Borrowed from CENIC process.

Confidence not in benchmarking tool in isolation but in a statewide effort.

More important than legislation is the environment where the carriers feel comfortable giving the data.

Also have data on buildout plans for the next 18 months.

Your relation with Kentucky Education Network (KEN)
CK has been identified as a thought leader across the state.
Because of relationships with government
Ability to achieve results at CK
When there are large projects that are undertaken in the visioning stage.
Get asked to be a participant on the teams that are putting these together.
Governance is internal to government but ask CK to be a part of it.
Same for telemedicine
Consultative role, leverage relationship
Create a fertile environment for KEN to take place.
KEN recognizes connection of CK to local communities.

What are the other parts of Governor’s Prescription for Innovation
1) Cover state with broadband with 2007
2) Online presence for each community
3) Impact computer literacy at the home level
4) Establish an e-community

Simultaneous, systemic response to advancing economic development through technology.

Systemic cloud over the state. Not entered through one sector. Multi-sector engagement.

Two strategies
Supply side enhancement. Make it easy for them to get to the market place
De-regulatory advocacy in the state. Deregulate broadband.

Relationship Governor’s programs

CONNECTED NATION
Form Connected Nation to respond to requests from other states.

Also discuss with national groups to respond.

Provides consulting or replication basis.

What’s next?
5 As (See brochure)
Help digital natives to bring the digital immigrants along
Help communities develop and use new applications
What will bring the most benefit to the commonwealth?

Work with libraries
Facilitated meeting with Kentucky.gov to get web portals for libraries.
Make connections they see.

Success factors
Local leadership
Mapping
Transparency except for proprietary data from telecom
Leadership
Inclusiveness
Outside facilitator, instigator, catalyst
Create Demand/ Provide Supply
501c3
Strategic thinking
Research based
Support of Governor’s office
Need to have the head of the network politically connected with governor and legislative
Great committed staff, very dedicated, not here to get rich
Neat team to be a part of
Believe in the mission and see tangible results

Barriers/challenges
In any state the government, private sector, and legislative body have to be aligned.
Any one of these alone cannot do this.
Have to have all three aligned.

Provider community do not see eye to eye.
Providers are competitors. Been able to foster cooperation in the development of the macro environment so they can compete.

Can’t get enmeshed in the industry debates. Focus on the larger prize.
Develop a rising tide that will lift all the boats.

Gates Foundation

Not view libraries in isolation of context.
Can’t have libraries without community and business
Accelerating technology is enhanced by a water raising exercise.

Many sectors have benefited but not a sector focused endeavor.

Libraries participate in community planning.
Match library with community assets.

Partner with Gates to implement

Technology showcase of what technology can do.
Show the public and others.
Can position and amplify.

Ann described KEN, Information Technology Coordinating Committee
Interested in how to fit public libraries into network for P-20
Talked to KDLA about numbers.
Pilot in 07-08 for a library that is working with school districts
Fayett county working with the school district.

Looking at connectivity, bandwidth needs.
Connect in 08-10
10 megs

KEN is an initiative to connect all the K-12 school districts with broadband with 100 mbs. Access to internet and higher ed, instructors, online classes. Internet 2 for virtual networks. Central pipe back to Frankfort and direct access to Internet.
All k-12 go to Frankfort and then internet. Will be decentralizing so school districts can go directly to the internet.
KPEN
Kentuky Postsecondary Education Network
Can also use I2.
Kentucky is the 34th state in I2.
Public libraries are eligible. How to bring them into the network.

Louieville has a pop 10 gigabites.
This will enable libraries to use the regional optical network.

KEN is the physical infrastructure that provides the pipeline to send data across.
Foundation of all other education projects.
When wanted to upgrade content in the schools, it was cumbersome to use anything with the Internet until upgrade infrastructure (pipelines) to the internet.

It is the last mile as well as the backbone.
10 gigabite/100 meg to all the schools districts.

Schools connect their own schools.

Public library would connect through AT&T will build out to the public library.
So far been able to cooperate with AT&T to build out the KEN network.
AT&T building fiber to the schools.

AT&T will build out to public libraries as well.

$3588 a month,
10 megs
Quality assurance.
Commonwealth Office of Technology $340 a month for education to manager the network.

AT&T runs the backbone.
$4000 a month.

Request money from the state to connect public libraries and sustain the connections. Kentucky Dept. of Education now pays for school district connectivity.

Dept. of Ed also applies for e-rate and applies to KEN.

KDLA could apply for erate on behalf of local libraries.

Libraries can connect into KEN right now and just pay the $4000.

All 176 school districts build out by the end of 2007.

Peering of KEN and KPEN will become one network next month.

Dept. for Workforce Investment, Dept. of the Blind will also go on the network.
Support job seekers.

Then will start on public libraries. Haven’t even started with the planning.

Dept. of Finance and KOT provided the leadership to get AT&T to build out.

Tom Freese AT&T has been a good partner.
17 telcos have partnered with AT&T on the project. Tremendous success with the smaller districts. Build on existing relationships. Make sure was a collaborative effort to involve not just AT&T. Cooperative network among the telcos.

Antecedent climate of cooperation that achieved CK that laid the groundwork for the cooperation that built KEN. The environment was in place to move KEN forward.

Mapping turned out to be good for their communities and a business case.

Long term goals for KEN??
Application
KEN not just about bandwidth.
Identify applications with statewide impact.
Priorities from educational audience.
Single sign on
Desktop video conferencing
Games and simulations
Make recommendations to ITC group.
This is what we want to do and what it will cost.

More interest as the news spreads. Large group already. Welcoming new people as they ask to be on the committee.
Have a meeting every other Wednesday. Long standing committee. People welcome to come and participate.

Statewide transfer system to transfer teacher licensure from state to state or district to district.

Distance learning in every classroom or a portable system that can move to the classroom.

Share teachers across the state from K-12 or higher ed.
Interactive learning with students in other countries.

Kentucky virtual library.
Been around since 1999.
Spend money for license databases. Some state money, Dept. of Ed, some money from local libraries. Selection database (Charlene shares).

All public institutions.
Private institutions, colleges and schools, can participate as well.

$2 mill cost for databases saves $10 million via aggregation.
Funded through multiple sources.
People can log in from home using their public library bar code.
Some libraries embed within their own web site.

Ground courier service. $300,000 a year. 445 stops around the state at public libraries and public post secondary. Regardless of where live can get through ILL and lab kits and anything related to distance learning.

Integrated ILS, Endeavor.
Support ILL fee structure for WorldCat paid for by State Library.
Endeavor designed for academic libraries. Not very user friendly.
ILS for 16 higher ed institutions.

Also do training

Outsource to UK to manage a Kentucky digitization project. Anything related to Kentucky history. Want a traveling van to take to small libraries.

Implementation plan on the web.
Need to look at different kind of use by public libraries.

What students have
What students need

768 k per student is the average connection

Based on existing applications based on monitoring network based on current use by number of students, number of computers.
Try and forecast when will max out bandwidth and then add more.
Set baseline based on use at a peak time
Then look at any new application
Look at what bandwidth will be needed for new application.
How many people will be using the new application?

I2 is the cornerstone of KEN. The schools who have it love it.

Did a dog and pony show showing
Video conference on I2 and on commodity network to show the difference.

Best practices that worked
Leadership (secretary of education presenting to leg and governor)
Enthusiasm and excitement
Communication with agencies to find out what the needs are.
Communicating plan
Put everybody in the room to develop plans, budget, etc.
Leadership of group, everybody has the same focus on the big picture.
Ongoing awareness of people and have them advocate.
Willingness to travel and make presentations.
Professional development/training

Every legislator who voted yes has a committee at the local level to support.

Go to library association conferences to demonstrate.

Barriers
Don’t do as much PR as would like.
Would like to promote the education and library system.
Participation, getting people at the table.
Easy part is infrastructure, Getting them to talk about needs is less.
Want to measure success by use not existence of infrastructure.
Measure by applications being used. <br.>
Decide in a vacuum what might be best. Not good.
Integration is biggest barrier. Need to integrate resources into learning applications.
Need more training for teachers
Need to match content with curriculum standards.

Has to be convenient and non-technical.
If there is an extra step, won’t do it.
Need a lifelong learning portal that anyone can enter regardless of stage in life.

Recommendations to B&M Gates
Support KEN with money.
Help get KEN in place.
Back KEN in some way for monthly reoccurring charges for on two years.
Bring someone to the table to work with this.
Funding to KDLA to get people to understand how it might be used.

Connected Fayette county to KEN as a pilot.
Will evaluate to see what recommendations might make.

Meeting with Deborah Clayton

Commissioner, Department of Commercialization and Innovation
Economic Development Cabinet

Dept put in place in 2000 to support growth and startups of high tech companies in the state, 50,000 or above income.
High tech investment pool supports companies in their start up operations.
Covers patent fees,
High tech construction pool. Purchase equipment.
Easy process to apply for the money. Six Innovaction and Commercialization Centers (6)
All of affiliation with higher ed.

Matching program for small business innovation and small business transfer grants.

Help companies write proposals to apply for funding.

Jumpstart a start-up company.

State venture fund.

See a return on investment already in the investment.

Supported ConnectKentucky $1 million annually. Has been higher.
What they are doing is phenomenal.
Put broadband in to impact the lives of everybody.
Impacts schools, libraries, business.

CK is not a high tech company but promote jobs and economic development.

If don’t’ have the IT infrastructure in place, can’t do anything.

Now first in place in broadband deployment in the country.

Need to get articles out about the success of CK.

Governor’s Committee in Digital Information (need to look for the report.)

Support DataSeam ($5 million) putting computers in classrooms and train the teachers. Unused time is being collected and used by cancer research center to do research. Distributed computing.

Innovation and Commercial Centers
6 offices around the state that team up with Innovation Centers

Assist high tech business get off the ground and become productive.
Help businesses do a business plan.

Recommendations for Gates
Workplace development. Use assets if libraries to help develop a workforce..

Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Keith Byrd
Susan Kraft – Dept for workforce development

Champions are important. Need someone to “pitbull it”.

KSTC – Kentucky Science and Technology Core
Matt McGarvey

Meeting with the Kentucky State Library Staff

Every public library in the state has a BB connecti0n of 200 KB. This might not be enough but they have it. Narrative reports show they have upgraded speed. Staying Connected grants from the Gates Foundation have helped.

Kentucky Information Highway (KIH). Bell South took the lead in putting it together.

Created in 1995, Libraries, Schools, State universities, state government all on the KIH on a 10 year contract.

KIH2 included DSL. The state contracted with different telecom carriers to cover the entire state. State wanted a presence in each county. If telecom companies could pick and choose where they wanted to serve, it would not have covered the entire state.

KEN (Kentucky Educational Network) is P-20. The state is paying for all of these to connect through private telecom companies.

Kentucky State Library. State funding for libraries goes through KSL. $4 million in state aid. KSL also handles federal LSTA programs.

118 counties in all with public libraries
Per capita income ranges from $2.10 to $118.
106 are independent taxing districts.
186 total public library outlets
Largest bookmobile service in the country.

Getting hooked up to BB is not a problem. Paying for it is the problem. Particular ongoing cost.

Not just “build it and they will come.” Have to show people what’s possible.

Used to have a state enterprise plan – state infrastructure, state standards. Not anymore. CK has taken over most of this along with the Dept of Commercialization and Innovation.

E-rate participation is at about 50%.
Most think it’s too cumbersome for the small return.
E-rate also poses a problem with contract negotiations.

The technology is easy
The funding is harder
The policy barriers are impossible

CK helps local libraries do a business plan but does not help them do an RFP.

E-community groups are good for
* Contacts with other community groups
* plans at the county level
* but not much action

It’s now a corporate model

Charlene –
CK puts together a steering team
I-2 connects
CK will be doing an applications workshop for local libraries
There is a distance learning advisory council
Steering committee
Delivery of distance learning
Kentucky Virtual Campus for P-20.
State agencies

Has there been a call for more help from the state library?
Judith – Drastic cuts in the State Library.
Regional librarians have been cut
These are missed by librarians in the state
Went from 16 to 12 regional librarians.

Public libraries want to control their own future but want assistance with training

1996 – 225 positions at the state library
2006 – 123 positions at the state library
Services are handicapped but there are no fewer responsibilities.

Kentucky Virtual Library
Council on Post Secondary Network
Part of 1999 Higher Ed Reform
KVL coordinates databases
Provides courier service
Every public library and technical and community college gets courier service

Capitol plan to build infrastructure to public libraries
COT (Commonwealth Office of Technology) may not be able to handle the traffic

Kentucky Department of Education only wants to serve children
Huge battle with COT to unfilter state library computers for adult access
There is now a new commissioner of KDE.

What are the Implications of buildout
If KEN takes a pipe to the library
What are the expenses to the library to connect other branches

Problem with Kentucky Information Highway
Libraries didn’t know how to connect.
Had to send technology people to set up.
Libraries did not get help from KIH

Concern that if get funding for a network for 2 years, what happens if the funding is cut?

E-rate could help.
They would need a full-time person to do erate for all the libraries sin the state.

KEN has talked to KDLA technology person to get data on libraries
Skip Hunt is also part of the Dept. of IT group.
Miko at KEN is a real advocate for libraries.
KDLA has been asked to suggest a library as a pilot for full KEN connectivity.

Would libraries lobby for state funds to connect to KEN?
Yes if they have the information about what it would cost.

There is 200kbps for every library.

Larger libraries have strong IT people.
Some of these go to help smaller libraries.

It’s a patchwork quilt of assistance. Some have contract assistance.
Some libraries share an IT support person.

What contributes to success?
Long time coming
Started I n1990 for ILL
Moving forward for a long time
First Search in 1995
Gates grants
Empower Kentucky
E-Government

Leadership and vision
3 years support from Gates Foundation
Someone to call for help

Lots of training on line
Microsoft
Web design
Train the Trainer
How to teach in a classroom
Contract with Solinet for training
XML
Done technology training for decades
Gates grants have supported a lot of training.
Charlene has been monumental in making ongoing training available
Librarians trust and know Charlene
She creates models
Small libraries run by librarians without an MLS
Amazing when it comes to technology
They love training
Participate in online training

Barriers
$$ need more state aid
Political turfism
Lack of communication
Problem with local public libraries , some don’t want to participate
Don’t feel they need more bandwidth
Fear of future funding cuts

What can Gates do?
Fund training, anything to do with technology
Funding infrastructure for pipes
Fund space for computers
Use political influence to get funding
“This could be his legacy”
“He could be the new Carnegie of the 21st century.”